I just love this recipe. Thank you for sharing. It brings back great memories of the first thing I learned to make in the kitchen with my aunt and mom. Our recipe was from my mom’s 1963 Betty Crocker home ec cookbook so it called for crisco – something I am happy to delete from current baking though it does being back a fond memory for me. This cookie will always be associated with a warm, happy home for me. I thank you for sharing a recipe that has all natural ingredients! It’s so soft and lovely. Last Christmas I baked dozens of these and mailed them to my international friends – I am happy to report that cookies I made from this recipe made it all the way to Iceland and were happily received!

I liked the chewiness of these cookies and have compared the recipe to others and it has a much lower butter to flour ratio which I like but definitely are lacking in a buttery flavor unlike this other recipe I tried. Also, the cornstarch is key! I tried substituting it with wheat germ and the cookie turned out very dry. Good recipe!

I made these cookies, and they were just okay. I feel the butter ratio was a tad off. Only 4 tablespoons? I also added some vanilla extract (only 1/2 teaspoon). Not sure if that changed the chemistry, though I doubt it. I tend to prefer cookie recipes that call for both baking soda and baking powder, too—although I’m not sure why this matters.

Anyways, thanks for the recipe. Any input you might have in regards to my comments would be useful, too :D

I also followed the recipe but with the two exceptions of (1) halving the salt because I used table salt instead of kosher salt and (2) using dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar.

The cookies turned out very much like my chocolate chip cookies sans chocolate chips due to the mixture of sugars. Were I to do this recipe again, I would reduce the brown sugar. The color and taste were definitely wrong for snickerdoodles (but ok in itself).

The cookies also baked up cakey and fluffy. The moisture was nice, but not like other snickerdoodles I’ve had. I live in Oregon, not much above sea level. I mixed the dough by hand, making sure not to overbeat the mixture once I added the eggs.

I was so excited to try this recipe, as I have been wanting to make snickerdoodles for a while. But my cookies looked nothing like the ones in the picture. I followed the recipe carefully but the cookies are pretty cake-like, and definitely much puffier than I would have hoped. Your picture depicts cookies that are chewy in the middle but mine were real disappointing.

Hello Johanna,

Perhaps you could share with us a little bit about what you made the recipe with or where you are geographically? These two details mean a lot in baking.

My first guess at why yours were fluffy is that your eggs were quite large, or you creamed the butter-sugar mixture until the mixture was both light in color and volume. These 2 possibilities could make cakey cookies. Also if you used baking powder instead of baking soda it could account for a higher rise.

My next guess is that you used a convection oven? or perhaps you substituted cake flour by accident?

Please do let us know, should you wish to improve the next batch of snickerdoodles. My own experience is that almost all recipes I’ve come across create a cakey cookie and the ones in the photos are much more like the kind of snickerdoodle I appreciate. I assure you that I made the cookies and photographed them that day. And then I ate the evidence! ~ Shuna

I remember back in high school, you could smell them when you walked into the cafe in the morning. Then it was a bunch of high school kids climbing over one another to get their paws on the limited amounts of snickerdoodles they made. Working behind the counter, I managed to always get dibs on at least 4. After that, I had to jump in line with the rest of the wolves. The teacher always refused to give the recipe, and these turned out the closest I ever got to re-tasting those high school tasties. Thank you so much.

Eating one now, made from salted butter which turned out fine… though Norwegians claim their dairy products are always excellent anyway! They’re delicious, even though I baked them about 2 minutes too long!

And by the way – I love, love, love the “recipes for a dozen cookies”- just the perfect amount!

I want to make these at a family reunion up in the mountains at approx 6500 ft. Any high altitude guidance for this recipe?

Hello Paprika, This is a fantastic question! I once baked chocolate chip cookies in Idaho and wondered why they were so… odd, or different! The absolutely best advice I can give isn’t mine, but from someone else. Look for the book Pie in the Sky Successful Baking at High Altitudes by Susan G. Purdy. I met her at a Bakers Dozen many years ago and she blew me away with her research and knowledge about high altitude baking, which is tricky, at best. First ruloe of thumb: be prepared to bake them a long time! ~ Shuna

Do you know of a way to make the Snickerdoodles puffier? This cookie was a regular for slumber party cookie baking when I was a kid, but I remember the cookies being rounder going onto the baking sheet and not flattening out quite so much during baking. As an adult I’ve tried to make these from many recipes and they come out squishy. What’s going wrong? Also, count me as one who’s never seen cornstarch, only cream of tartar, in a Snickerdoodle recipe.

Hello J-me,If you want your cookies to be “puffier” add more eggs, use baking powder & cream of tartar instead of baking soda and cornstarch, respectively. You could also cut down on the butter. If you don’t want any chew at all, omit brown sugar and use only white sugar.When you are asking, “What’s going wrong?” as it pertains to squishy-ness I can only guess as I have no idea what geographical location you’re baking and storing your cookies in. After that there are many reasons including what kind of baking sheet you’re using. And then of course all butter, flour, eggs and sugar are not created equal.Cookies are and remain soft when they are high in moisture to begin with. Look at the comments above– some people use corn syrup to make their cookies “squishy.” So nothing is ever wrong unless they taste off. After that it’s up to you to play and get this cookie exactly as you want it! Best of luck– and if you have the time– let us know what you came up with… ~ Shuna

Tried the recipe for the Snickerdoodles last night and had some problems. So I have some questions if you can answer that would be great…

First as as consistency of the dough, is it wet or more dry? Mine were wet and it made it hard to pat them down for the sugar part.

Is the butter at the beginning supposed to be softened or hard when creamed out?

The cinnamon sugar seems like a lot for 12 to 18 cookies, 1/2 cup of sugar? Even the 1/2 tablespoon per cookie seemed a bit excessive as not all of my sugar became absorbed by the dough in baking. Also my sugar was dark from the cinnamon and the picture showed a very sugary light colored mixture.

thanks, chris

hello Chris,The dough is on the wet side, yes. This made it hard to pat down? I can see how this would be, but first you get the dough into what seem like balls, then plop them in cinnamon sugar, toss, place on sheet pan, flatten a bit, sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. I agree that it was a messy job, but not an impossible one.

The butter, as all the ingredients, should be room temperature. Not too warm, not too cold. Just right, as Mama Bear would say. If you are mixing this dough with a mixer your butter can start out a little cooler because the beaters/paddle attachment will soften the butter a bit.

Yes, you will have leftover cinnamon sugar. Cinnamon toast? French toast the next day? More cookies? {I will often sprinkle cinnamon sugar under my ball of dough as well…} Depending on what sort of cinnamon you use, your mixture will alter in color. Snickerdoodles are as much about the cinnamon’s strength as they are about their intriguing texture. I say your sugar should be heavy on the cinnamon, but as it is with all things, your own preference will determine the outcome.

I hope this helps. Remember that recipes are guides. If your dough is too wet, refrigerate it a wee bit and it will be easier to handle. Think the butter is too soft? Don’t get it as warm next time. Hate having leftover cinnamon sugar? Make half the amount and cut it close. Some of baking is an exact science, but truth be told, most of it is alchemy and whim. Magic and touch… ~ Shuna

Hello Steamy Kitchen,In answering another person’s question above I said that it’s best to use snickerdoodle dough sooner rather than later because the raw dough will oxidize, yes. If you are not going to bake all the cookies as soon as you make the recipe, it’s best to freeze the dough, pre-portioned.Oxidization means that the dough will go off in color and then soon after go bad– like molding bad. But we’re talking weeks here, not hours or days.I agree with you that the article and recipe in the NY Times was a revelation! In commercial baking we are always baking dough that was made on another date, but I have never timed it against dough that was just made so it should be really interesting… Thanks for your question, I hope I answered it. ~ Shuna

Oh, I am glad to see a Snickerdoodles recipe! I have tried two other, different recipes but I just don’t like them very much. They seem too flat. (My son loves them though–they are his favorite, so I bake them for him!)

Next time I will use your recipe and see if it is better. Thanks!
–Andrea

Oh yum! This takes me back to my first Home Ec class in 7th grade! I was SO disappointed at first that there were no Snickers candy bar ingredients in this recipe, but any doubt was soon assuaged by these beauts.

Hubby is going to be so excited to be reminded of these little treats!

Mix topping ingredients first and place aside. For topping- In a medium sauce pan, combine brown sugar, water, butter and salt.Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.Remove from heat and add vanilla.Stir well and set aside.

Pudding- In a mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Combine the milk, melted butter, and vanilla and add all at once to the flour mixture. blend quickly. Spread in an greesed 9×13 pan, then pour the reserved sauce mixture over the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center bubbles up. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

For another option, pour topping over it and sprinkle with a few chopped nuts, if desired. Bake 45 minutes at 350*. Serve with whipped cream or thawed non dairy whipped topping.